Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1887-11-26
STABILITY OF A NATION.

at the graduation exercises, June "a,
1877.
STABILITY OF A NATION.
A nation, by strict derivation OF the
word, is the whole body Of individuals
born in any State or country. 1t may,
therefore, be considered as a larger
family, dependent not alone upon a ma.
tional code of laws or arbitrary rule, but
upon the peculiar characteristics of its
people. People, heavy and stolid like
the English, reveal the peculiarities Of
the English nation; or light but quick
like the French, divulge the at.
tributes of the French Govern.
ment; or a people may have all
these traits mingled, as we ourselves,
though we are as a nation still so young
that we are unable to tell what our future
may be, or our end must be.
The people-not the rulers for any
period-make the nation and determine
its rise or fall. No nation can check the
development Of the people and maintain
an existence. Man was not made for
constitutions, but constitutions for man.
The strength of a nation depends greatly
upon the principles of its government,
but that government is the reflection OF
the minds of its people. No forcible
law exists but is the product of many
minds, and the growth of many ideas.
Successive statesmen have each aided in
its formation until, when completed, it
may we'll be called the work of the PEG.
pie through their great men. Some have
maintained that the real history of a
nation might be summed up in the his.
tory OF its great men. Each prominent
man is the expression Of the manners,
customs and mode Of thinking of his
age and his surroundings. We, as a
country, we're fortunate in having men
of great intellect to form our laws in the
beginning of our nation. This, too, was
a natural outcome of the trying circum.
stances in which our nation had its birth.
The hardships endured by our fore
fathers, brought out noble qualities. In
that fierce struggle the weak must per-
ish, and only those possessing indomit-
able will, courage and self-denial could
survive. These traits are seen in the
Constitution formed by these men. They
knew the stability Of a nation depended
upon its people. To care for their educa.
ton, rights and freedom of thought and
action was their first duty.
No government gives better advantages
for development than that which we
possess, or a republic. Our public
schools and universities are a great power
in our land. The future of a nation de.
ponds largely upon the training received
by its children. The education of the
Roman youth developed his physical
nature; strength, use of arms, endurance
were the ends he sought. From this
fact alone, we could know that Rome
held her power by force. To-day the
mind receives the care anciently given
the body. Mental force more than
physical sways the world. If not the
best nation in the world, ours is fast be.
coming the best, and has produced great
men who are acknowledged powers in
every line of thought. For England's
Carlyle, we have Emerson; for Tenny.
son, Longfellow; for Pitt and Fox,
Webster and Calhoun.
All ancient nations have risen from
obscurity, reached a zenith in their
power, waned, and have sunk again into
.obscurity. Can we not prevent our
glorious nation from following the same
course! Turning the pages of history
we find records of nations which exist
to-day only in name; partly because
they endeavored to restrict the growth
of the people to one idea. Egypt was
ruled by her religion; no Pharaoh of her
land dared disobey the priestly rule;
sculpture, painting and architecture
were cultivated only to represent reli.
gious ideas. With Romans, the ruling
idea was Rome. People were sacrificed
to the city. A Roman citizen, sharing
in Rome's glory, wished but to enlarge
her power. Every principle of a diff.
ferent tendency was checked. But many
ideas struggling for existence, an infinite
graduation of liberty, wealth; an influence
make it impossible for European people
to be limited in thought or action to one
idea.
Besides the restriction of a nation to a
single idea, a cause of its downfall may
be that a period of great glory brings OPP.
portunities for luxurious living, mac.
vice and corrupt morals.
Another cause is slavery. No nation
can long exist with subjects, degraded to
that depth. No nation of free men can
long exist and hold subject provinces.
The decay OF Rome began when she be.
mistress of conquered races, to
whom she was unwilling to extend her
privileges.
All organizations, destined to endure, |
must spring from causes inherent in
themselves, and must grow freely or they
will not grow at all. Popular forms OF
government are possible only when in.
dividuals govern their lives on moral
where duty is more important
than pleasure, and justice than power.
Nations built by such people will be
in influence. Each individual is
a part of the government and can help,
hinder, its progress. Each and all
should keep the laws prescribed by their
representatives, and there should be
support, all working together so
far as is possible, while observing the
dictates of conscience. But perfect
quiet and inactivity is not the most
state for a nation. Wherever
there is freedom of thought there must
be many conflicting opinions; it is in.
evitable. Our W country gives ex.
amples of forces which must be rightly
or they will threaten the exist.
ence of the nation. The great labor in.
terests, striving against monopoly and
to equalize wages, is form
ing a faction which will play a great part
IL the politics of the next Presidential
campaign. c
nent NAV be likened to that which a
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